President Biden announced on Sunday that U.S. military forces had conducted airstrikes in Syria to keep the Islamic State from reasserting itself in the aftermath of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Speaking at the White House, Mr. Biden celebrated Mr. Assad’s fall and expressed hope that after decades of repressive rule, the people of Syria could build a new, freer society. But he warned of the dangers of instability and vowed to prevent terrorists from regaining traction.
“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen,” he said in his televised remarks from the Roosevelt Room. “This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud county. It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty.”
To that end, Mr. Biden said, U.S. forces took action on Sunday to wipe out pockets of the Islamic State, the ferocious radical group also known as ISIS that for a time took over broad swaths of Syria and Iraq until beaten back by a U.S.-led coalition. Experts in the region worry that the chaos of the coming days could provide an opening to the Islamic State to reconstitute itself as a major force in Syria.
“We’re cleareyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability, to create a safe haven,” Mr. Biden said. “We will not let that happen. Just today, U.S. forces conducted a dozen precision strikes, airstrikes, within Syria targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives.”
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military actions in the Middle East, said Sunday’s operations struck more than 75 targets in central Syria using B-52, F-15 and A-10 warplanes. “Battle damage assessments are underway and there are no indications of civilian casualties,” the command said in a statement.
“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of Central Command. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”
A U.S. official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under administration ground rules said 140 munitions were used in the strikes and did not rule out future operations.
The official said that the United States was in contact with all the various groups operating in Syria, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel force that was once affiliated with Al Qaeda and remains designated a terrorist group by the State Department.
In his remarks, the president expressed caution about the new forces taking power in Syria. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,’’ he said. He noted that their leaders were “saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”
Mr. Biden said he was sending officials to the Middle East and would personally speak with leaders from the region in the coming days. He expressed commitment to helping Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon as they cope with the possible spillover effects of the turmoil in Syria.
While Mr. Assad is reported to have now fled to Moscow, where he is being given asylum, Mr. Biden said the deposed Syrian leader should not be allowed impunity after years of crimes. “Assad should be held accountable,” he said.
After years of trying to manage foreign crises that cost his party in last month’s election, won by President-elect Donald J. Trump, Mr. Biden sought to take a measure of credit for Mr. Assad’s downfall.
He said the victory of the rebel forces over Mr. Assad’s government was made possible by the collapse of his support from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, all of which the United States had a hand in. He noted that U.S. military aid and diplomatic support for Ukraine and Israel had bogged down Russian forces in Europe, helped destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon and thwarted two attacks by Iran on Israel. As a result, none could help Mr. Assad survive.
“Over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office,” Mr. Biden said.
“The upshot of this is for the first time ever, neither Russia nor Iran nor Hezbollah could defend this horrible regime in Syria,” he added. “This is a direct result of the blows” inflicted by Ukraine and Israel “with the support of the United States.”
In his remarks, Mr. Biden mentioned Austin Tice, the American journalist who has been held in Syria for a dozen years. Asked about Mr. Tice’s fate, Mr. Biden paused as he was walking out to say: “We believe he’s alive. We think we can get him back.”
